Belgium Tour Reviews — 391 to 420 of 1071

Fourteen strangers came together for 11 days of cycling, with lots of laughing, good food, and camaraderie. We learned a lot about the places we saw and by the last day we were all friends.

An excellent biking experience through beautiful countryside and on top of dikes allowing views of the sea and dunes. Then on to the boat for delicious food and an after dinner tour through picturesque towns and cities. It's my favorite way to visit a country.

We lucked out with the most gorgeous weather and didn't need to break out any of our raingear. We enjoyed meeting our fellow travelers. The meals were fabulous and our tour leaders were knowledgeable and informative. Others may find some extra comfort if they bring added bike seat cushion (memory foam or gel). The tour leaders adjusted our itinerary when changes had to be made due to high winds and we still had a good time. Most memorable was seeing Kinderdijk, swans nesting on the polder, and storks on their nests.

The whole trip was great. The evening events on board were really special - the barbecue with the toast for the 30th anniversary couple, the beer and chocolate pairing with Peter and the farewell dinner with the toast for our 50th anniversary and Hester’s wonderful oboe concert. The whole crew was terrific but our guides were outstanding. The atmosphere was always convivial and we made many new friends.

The attentiveness of Christina and Koen and all the rest of the staff on the boat. The only comment i have is that with 24 riders and quite a varying degree of riding abilities, I think two guides and divide the group into two would have been better.

Visiting the beautiful cities of Bruges and Ghent

Since this was our first Bike and Barge experience we have little to compare it with, but found we enjoyed the total package. The accommodation on the Gandalf was clean and the crew made it feel more like at home instead of just a place to sleep. Can't say enough about our guide, Simon, who spent many hours insuring the biking portion was smooth and profession. Even when the unexpected happened he calmly got us up and running again. The little personal touches he added gave the group a great deal of comfort in navigating in a foreign country.
Suggestion: If you are not use to riding 40 km a day, the e-bike option goes along way to improving the enjoyment level. A purchase of a local "SIMM CARD" that has data is very reasonable and give you a local phone # to communicate with the guide and/or the boat. TIP: call your guide on the first day so that he has your phone number registered on his phone.

My wife and I have just completed our first Bike and Barge tour. Amsterdam to Bruges on the Gandalf. From the Captain Hans, crew and Nishka (the dog) they made a very comfortable and enjoyable trip. We spent a lot of time with our guide, Simon, and I can't say enough about the profession way that he handled his job. Planning of the daily routes, briefing, finding a wonderful spot for lunch break, the evening walking tours(for us that had enough energy), providing city maps and all the little extra personal touches added a great deal to the overall experience.
Since my wife had not been on a bike for a few years, the rental of the e-bike was a very welcomed. The tour is on flat ground but there overpasses and distance that the option of the e-bike should be considered.

The fellowship on the Magnifique IV was wonderful. However, several of our fellow travelers tested positive for COVID right after leaving the ship. More options for testing and keeping the travelers free of COVID need to be provided.

There were too many memorable moments to really list. What I think was most memorable of the trip was the kindness of all the passengers. It seemed like we all had been friends forever. The other was the professionalism of the entire staff. They were all so KIND, COURTEOUS and POLITE. The entire staff was nothing short of true professionals. They really went above and beyond to make us feel very comfortable. Actually, so comfortable I didn't want to leave. CHEERS to the crew of the Magnifique IV.

The Merlijn, the captain, chef, crew and guides were absolutely fantastic - our third bike and barge with Tripsite and by far the best. The most memorable part for us was riding into Ghent where we lived 15 years ago as a family for a year - spent the afternoon with the group showing off our home away from home.

Riding in the countryside was wonderful, the ride in the urban parts was much more stressful. Our barge was divided into two groups which had significantly different experiences. Group one (which we were not in) had 2 guides while ours which was the same size had only one which meant that one of us had to take on the role of sweep. Our group leader did not stop or explain anywhere near as much as the other. Our group leader was unwilling to wait to make sure everyone was accounted for. For one example he took part of the group to a canal tour and said it should return on time. When I asked if he would wait for us if it was a few minutes late he said "I don't know, maybe" and when we were still getting our bikes out of the racks, he left with the rest of the group and was out of sight. luckily we were able to catch up but this incident seemed to characterize our whole experience with this guide.

Loved how beautiful and open and green the landscape we biked thru was. Picturesque towns, lovely houses farms and gardens.
The most polite people when it comes to cycling and everyone in the Netherlands does it!

I did the Bruges to Amsterdam tour on the Magnifique III. The staff was fabulous -- all of our needs were catered to -- Janneke and Anneke worked amazingly hard to take care of all of us. The boat is incredibly luxurious! The arrangements with Tripsite were seamless -- very professional. I will be traveling with Tripsite again, most definitely.

My friend and I took this trip in early September of this year. Everything about taking this excursion on the Magnifique III is glorious. The staff, accommodations, food, Tom (our guide), and the glorious cycling routes will not disappoint. On top of everything else, our fellow passengers were a joy ride and chat with. Pandemic travel wasn't a big deal and naturally filters for the intrepid traveler. A big shout to everyone for making this trip happen. I hope to see you all again sooner rather than later!

This was a phenomenal tour! Our tour guide, Andre was the best! He is Great organizer, very skilled crew and rider leader and an especially a very knowledgeable and inspiring historian! Unfortunately, he was also unusually busy as a bike repairman. We really hope to book another tour with Andre! (last name?)

We loved our barge Magnifique III. The staff and food and accommodations were excellent. Of course our biking was beautiful!

It would very difficult to limit it to ‘the most memorable part’! The entire trip was magical!
The staff and crew of the Fluvius were super kind and friendly and always willing to help. Big shout out to Robi, Tara and Anita and chef Astrid’s meals were delicious and all beautifully prepared.
What amazed us, coming from the States, was the incredible biking system throughout Belgium and the Netherlands! Our guide, Tom, laid out and explained each day’s planned journey but with the excellent maps and Ride with GPS app, it was almost impossible to get lost, even taking alternative routes or detours into other towns or sites.
Although every cycling day brought new experiences, the last day cycling from Breukelen to Amsterdam was particularly picturesque. And the e-bikes were fantastic!!
We would highly recommend this trip to any one of any age and will most likely plan another bike and barge trip in the future.
Thank you!
Eric & Annie

The crew was incredibly nice, caring, helpful, well informed and wonderful to deal with. And the food was outstanding.

I’ve used Tripsite for 9 bike/barge tours in the past 6 years. From Italy to France to tours of 5 countries along the Danube.
As a result, I’ve come to consider that the boat and it’s crew are the most valuable entity of any tour. The memory of bad service cannot be overcome the joy or beauty of travel.
With this in mind I am pleased to say the service on the FLUVIUS was superb! Every member of its crew invested themselves in our comfort safety and well-being. They took the time to provide excellent service to all of the passengers and left me looking forward to my next Tripsite tour.

TIP: Take your time and read the reviews of customers well before you hit the “Book This Trip” button.

The trip was wonderful. The staff on the Magnifique 3 were so helpful, friendly and service was great. Whilmie our tour guide was terrific. So pleasant, knowledgable and funny! The barge was clean and was refurbished nicely.Food was good. Highly recommend this trip !

The trip From Amsterdam to Bruges is a wonderful cycling experience - lovely scenery, charming towns full of history, great, fresh food, and easy cycling over the flat lowland terrain that defines the Netherlands. One has to accept the wind and rain as part of the experience, but we were certainly lucky this time with the weather - mostly sunny or lightly overcast days, with occasional drizzles and gusts of wind, particularly near the coastal areas. A highly recommended tour that provides a great introduction to the region.

The only concerns/suggestions I would offer are these: a) would prefer hotels located in/close to the town center, not in the suburbs; would also prefer locally owned hotels rather than chains,2) the maps were
Generally unhelpful - they are virtually microscopic, and certainly difficult to follow on a bike - suggest getting the GPS option, or just using the GPS on your phone, and 3) if wind/rain/distances are a concern, would suggest opting for the excellent and very efficient ebikes that are so common here in the Netherlands.

We weren't expecting a luxury cruise experience, but the small crew delivered something pretty close to that - all in a very informal atmosphere.
This tour is very flat, but if you are not biking regularly, or just want an easy riding experience, you may want to consider an e-bike.
The stops in small towns and larger cities were highlights (Gent, Antwerp and of course Bruges. Give yourself an extra day or two in Bruges...

Beautiful scenery from Amsterdam to Bruges!

Barge trip out of Paris was special. Great way to begin trip and see Paris on Sunday morning. Biking through back roads and trails of France and Belgium was great.

Trip was great.
Crew treated us to a very friendly and efficient environment. Food was amazing, dinners each night had a theme from different countries. It was a highlight of each to have this kind of dinner waiting.

Bike ride started in Bruge with great trails and welcoming towns. As we moved to France a few days of rolling hills with interesting stops during the day.

Our guide had his hands full with 24 riders but he was professional, organized, well informed and was just a great person to sit and talk with.

A great trip with a great crew looking after us.

Blaine Larsen

The biking and our tour guide Jack amazing and so knowledgeable!

Zeaantje barge is very nice. Crew was great. Our guide, Andre, was the best we have ever had—very knowledgeable about the route and special sites to see/visit, adjusted our route a couple times to accommodate the rain. Frank, the cook, was really outstanding—creative meals, good variety. My only, minor, complaint is that the barge’s lounge can be very noisy when a group is in it, especially at meal time. Bikes were ok but could use some TLC; we had a lot of flats, and some brake issues, but everyone pitched in to make repairs.

Fantastic value! Ship accommodations, food, bikes, tour routes exceeded our expectations. Most important crew and guides were the best!

Too many memorable parts to decide. The staff aboard the quo vadis, the food, the beautiful scenery both on the bikes and barge. All were superior.